Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!bu.edu!bucsf.bu.edu!harryk
From: harryk@bucsf.bu.edu (Harry Karayiannis)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st.tech
Subject: Re: passing to PRG (was: Re: requirements to use VDI)
Message-ID: <84413@bu.edu>
Date: 24 Jun 91 05:23:25 GMT
References: <9106211947.AA02697@sun.soe.clarkson.edu> <10283@star.cs.vu.nl> <2088@uqcspe.cs.uq.oz.au>
Sender: news@bu.edu
Reply-To: harryk@bucsf.bu.edu (Harry Karayiannis)
Followup-To: comp.sys.atari.st.tech
Organization: Computer Science Department, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
Lines: 63

In article <2088@uqcspe.cs.uq.oz.au> warwick@cs.uq.oz.au writes:
>The first thing would be to attempt to get the Desktop to handle the problem
>(ie. GEM Take Parameters).
>
>If this is not possible, then simply write a program (called, say, "GTP.PRG"),
>that takes a program as a parameter, pops up a "parameters" box, then runs
>the program with those arguments.  Then, simply use Install Application to
>make "GTP.PRG" the processor for all "*.GTP" programs.
>


  Or if you use a desktop alternative program, like Gemini (I triple the
recomendation), and you want to pass more than one files to a GEM
application (with its icon already on the desktop), just select the icons
of the files (with Shift+Click) and drag them to the icon of the application
(on the desktop).


  BTW, I think there is no need for changing the standard desktop just because
it is "difficult" to pass parameters in GEM programs.The "Install Application"
entry is more than enough, and it works very well. Now, if one wants to pass
more than 1 parameters to programs frequently, he should use a command line
anyway.

  In addition, I don't like the idea of the built-in(in GEM programs) parameter
box either. It would work well if the parameters (talking about files only,
no switches) lied in the same directory with the program; otherwise the user
should type the full path of the files (and even if there are only 2 of them it
would be tedious to type the whole path name for each). Now, if there is a GEM
program that expects (unix like) switches it should be recoded using curses
instead of GEM.


  If my message sounds abnoxious I apologise...I didn't mean it.


PS. BTW, has anyone tried the demo of my phone-address catalog program called
    ATZENTA2 ?  I'm interested in suggestions and comments (of any kind 8*)
    I'm just trying to figure out if it's worth it to keep improving it or
    just port it to another machine...

>
>Warwick.
>--
>  _-_|\       warwick@cs.uq.oz.au
> /     *  <-- Computer Science Department,
> \_.-._/      University of Queensland,
>      v       Brisbane, AUSTRALIA.



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